


Catch Me...I'm Falling

by blackvelvetrose



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-05-02 21:35:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5264465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackvelvetrose/pseuds/blackvelvetrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lieutenant Kathryn Humber is a Marine vet. She suffers from PTSD. She drinks to forget about the past. </p><p>Steve Rogers has been keeping an eye on her. He knows she would be a great addition to the team. But he is having trouble getting her to agree. So he calls upon Clint Barton. </p><p>Clint Barton knows that she needs a support group. But she especially needs a father figure. He somehow ends up filling in unintentionally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sober. Something I can't be. And it sucks. Formerly a juvenile delinquent. Marine veteran as well. Wasn't my idea but it was better than being thrown in jail. I was a damn good Marine. Best female sharpshooter too.

But then the enemy had to set off a landmine. I wasn't close but I was close enough to be blasted backwards. I thought for sure I was dead. But two weeks later, I woke up in the hospital back in Bethesda. Back in the good ole US of A. No one came to visit me. Not even my superior.

That was four years ago. In about two weeks, I'll be twenty-eight. Eighteen months ago, I picked up a nasty habit. Drinking. I keep to myself. I don't cause any trouble with anyone. I've closed myself away from the world. 

So why is it that he won't stop trying to find a way into my life? He keeps telling me that he sees the good in me. That I'd be a great addition to...to...oh fuck it. Some stupid team. I don't want to join some stupid team. If they all look like him, forget it. But damn his blue eyes are killer.

No, Humber, no falling for this guy. It's just too much trouble. I shake my head to clear it. I heave a sigh and head into the kitchen. I open the refrigerator. I examine the contents. I settle for leftover lasagna Donna made me two days ago. 

I grab a beer and move to heat up the food. After a bit, I move to the living room. I flip on the tv. I channel surf until I land on Beetlejuice. I smile internally because it is a favorite. I eat my food with content. By the time I finish eating, I've fallen asleep before the movie has ended. 

It was about ten-ish when I fell asleep. I woke up around two a.m. I had another damn nightmare. I sit up and access my surroundings. I remember that I'm home, not overseas. I walk to the bathroom. After that, I head back to the kitchen. 

I search for the new bottle of Jack Daniels. I find it and open it. I take a huge gulp like it's water. It feels like I just inhaled fire. I take it back to the living room. I sit there and drink it until it's gone. I start crying. 

I'm tired of all of this. The nightmares are keeping me awake. I drink so I can sleep. I stay drunk so I don't have to interact with people. I lock myself in my house unless I need more alcohol. Donna makes sure I eat. She's the only one who cares.

But I'm sure she'll be better off without me. I head to the kitchen and grab the Jim Beam. I place it in a brown bag then place it in my messenger. I head off to my study. I grab a piece of paper from the printer and write down an apology letter. I place it in an envelope and label it with her name. I leave my house key where it is and leave.

I start walking with no place in mind. I don't realize that I have found my way to 432 Park Avenue. I've managed to get passed the security. I make my way to the stairs. I get all the way to the top. It's chilly out. I don't mind though.

I walk over to the edge. I take out the Jim Beam. I start drinking. I start crying. By the time I finished the bottle, I'm standing on the edge of the building. I don't bother looking down. I don't want to rethink my decision. 

I take a few minutes before turning around and stepping off of the ledge. I feel myself falling. I see the lede moving farther and farther away. I close my eyes. I'm expecting to hit the pavement but I don't. I feel the wind moving my hair out of my face. I don't dare open my eyes. 

Instead I fall asleep. When I wake up, it's been three days. I'm in a hospital again. I close my eyes then open them. I look around before landing my gaze on someone. It takes me a minute to realize it's him. I watch him sleep. 

I study his face. He looks so peaceful. This keeps me calm. Finally he starts to stir. He opens his eyes. He closes them then opens them. He clears his throat then says, “Hey.”

“Hey,” I say, sounding a bit hoarse. He gives me a half smile. He gets up, stretches, then leaves. I frown at his absence. But just as quickly as he left, he came back. He returned with one of those hospital cups with a straw. “Got you some water,” he says. 

He makes a move to help me drink. I want to take from him, but my hands are cuffed to the bed. I frown at them then at him. I raise an eyebrow at him. “When you were admitted, you started fighting against the doctors and nurses. It is for your safety as well as theirs.” I huff at him then lay my head against my pillow. 

He frowns. He puts the cup down then steps out into the hallway. I'm not aware that he is calling someone. He doesn't return. So I try to sleep. About thirty minutes later, someone knocks softly on the door. I turn to see who it is. 

It's someone completely new. “Good morning,” he says. I tilt my head to side. “What's so good about it?” I ask, raising my hands as far as they would go while being handcuffed. He sighs then moves to uncuff me. I rub my wrists to try to get some feeling back into them. 

He sits in the chair the other guy left vacant. “I'm Clint Barton. But you can call me Barton,” he says. I don't say anything for a while. He's soft spoken. But he looks tired. His voice sounds like it too. 

Finally I speak. “Katie Humber. But you can call me Humber.” He smiles as he says, “Nice to meet you, Humber.” I smile back. I mean an actual smile. We sit there, staring at each other. That's until a nurse comes in. 

“Oh you're awake!” Damn she's annoying. Too early to be this damn perky. But I keep quiet and try to tune her out. It feels like an eternity before she finally leaves. “I thought she would never leave,” he said, once he knew she was out of earshot. I hold back a giggle. 

He looks me over. I wince. I'm not my best looking right now. “You look fine,” he says, as if he read my mind. “How did he know where I was?” I ask. He opened his mouth then closed it. “Me,” he says.

I raise an eyebrow at him. He clears his throat then says, “He had me keep an eye on you.” I stared at him. Then I turned my head to look out the window. “Last night I brought someone with me. You….I didn't…” He fumbled around.

I heaved a sigh. “Who saved me last night?” I asked. “Sam Wilson. He's the Falcon,” he said. That explains why I didn't hit the pavement. “I'm Hawkeye,” he added. “Why are you telling me this?” I ask solemnly. He had a hopeful look in his eyes. 

“Rog...Steve is hoping that you will join The Avengers. He thinks that you will be a great addition to the team. And so do I.” I heave a sigh. So his name is Steve. He doesn't look like a Steve. Oh well. 

Barton looks me over. “I can help you beat this. But you've got to want it too,” he says. I look around before looking at him. I know I need to beat this. If I don't, next time could be even worse. For some reason, I'd feel like a let down to Barton if I succeeded at suicide. But I have a feeling that he won't let me.


	2. Chapter 2

I've been released from the hospital. Only after being on a forty-eight hour suicide watch. Barton is there when the doctor releases me. I'm only released because Barton has agreed to continue to watch after me. He doesn't believe in sending me to rehab. That's fine with me. Instead he's taking me to Stark Tower. 

When we pull up, I stare in awe at the building. “She's a beauty,” he says. I don't answer, just nod my head yes. He gets out and walks around to my side. He opens the door and offers me a hand. I take it. He helps me out. 

He closes the door. He goes to get the bag with my clothes that I wore before I was admitted into the hospital. “I don't want them,” I say. He stops to look at me. “I understand. I actually have a better idea for them.” He still grabs them. 

With his free hand, he ushers me to the building. Once inside, he leads me to an elevator. So far we haven't run into anyone. We ride in silence to the fourth floor. He leads me to a door on the right. “Here we go. Welcome to your new living quarters,” he says opening the door. He walks in first. 

I hesitate before going in. I slowly take in my surroundings. One wall is painted Kelly Green. The other three are painted a light brown. A full size bed is centered against the wall opposite of the Kelly green wall. The bedding is red and brown. There's a dresser, a desk, a television, and a chair. 

He looks at me trying to read my emotions. When he can't, he tells me to look in the closet. I do. It's full of clothes, accessories, and shoes. I tilt my head in confusion. “How do you know what size I wear?” He shrugs as he says “Nat found out for us.” I just shook my head.

I turned around to face him. I was trying not to cry. He smiled. “Welcome home, Katie,” he said coolly. That's when I lost it. For once in my life since I grew up, I really did feel like I was home. “Aww Katie, don't cry,” he chuckled.

He pulled me into a big bear hug. He rocked me from side to side. In between sniffling, I giggled. He smiled. “That's what I like to hear,” he said. After a bit, he pulled back. “How about you take a shower while I make us some lunch?”

I wiped away the remaining tears. “Sounds like a good idea.” I smiled and he smiled back. “I see you in a little bit.” I watched him leave before going to my closet to pick out clothes. I pick out a dark pair of jeans, a Journey tee shirt, and a pair of black Converse shoes. I got to the dresser and pulled out undergarments. 

I went to take a hot shower. Meanwhile, Barton made cheeseburgers for us. He used cheddar cheese and added bacon. He fried up some French fries too. He was going to go with beer but decided against it. Instead he poured two glasses of lemonade. He had everything set on the table by the time I walked downstairs. 

I smiled at the sight. He looked up to see me. “Hey, feel better?” I nod my head yes. I slid into a chair. He sat down too. I took a deep breath and sighed happily. 

He shook his head. “You do like bacon cheeseburgers right?” I laughed. “Yes I do! It's been awhile since I've had a homemade one.” He chuckled. “I don't usually toot my horn, but mine are exceptionally delicious.” I raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Toot, toot,” he said. I burst out laughing. “Well dig in,” he said. I did. The savory goodness of the burger left me feeling even more better than the shower. We ate in silence. Afterwards, he took our plates and glasses to the sink. 

As he washed them, I watched. He was drying his hands when we heard a voice. “I smell food! What's for lunch?” I turned to see a man with shoulder length dark brown hair and a metal arm. I almost stared at him until I saw Steve. “Kathryn, how are you feeling?” I smiled as I replied, “Better now that I just ate.

And please call me Katie.” He nodded as he smiled. “Katie,” he said. Barton jumped in. “Sorry guys, I only cooked for the two of us. I didn't know anyone would be home.” Mr. Metal Arm pouted.

Steve saw this. “Come on Bucky. I'll make us lunch,” he said moving forward into the kitchen. Bucky stayed as he looked me over. I did the same to him. “Hi, I'm Bucky,” he said with a grin. I looked away from him as I held back a laugh. “Buck, leave Katie alone. 

She doesn't have time for your antics,” Steve said bustling around in the kitchen. Bucky’s mouth fell open as Barton and I walked away. I started giggling as Bucky started to bicker with Steve. I looked over at Barton. “His name really isn't Bucky is it?” I asked. Barton side glanced me. 

“No, it's not. It's James Barnes,” he says with a straight face. I can tell he's trying not to laugh. So I make a silly face. He laughs. “I win,” I say as I walk ahead. I don't get very far before I collide into someone. “I'm deepest apologies, M’Lady. Are you alright?” 

I look up into a pair of blue eyes. This man has long blond hair. He has a look of concern on his face. “Yes, I'm quite alright. No harm done,” I say with a smile. He shows me a toothy grin. “Quite excellent, M’Lady. I am Thor, son of Odin.

And you are?” “Kathryn Humber,” I reply. “Greetings Lady Kathryn, welcome to Stark Tower.” He gave me a huge bear hug then greeted Barton before wandering into the kitchen. I watched him leave before turning back to Barton. “Where in the world is he from?” I asked. Barton chuckled.

“He's not. He's from another realm. Asgard to be exact,” he says moving forward. I raise an eyebrow as I followed him. “Why does that sound familiar?” He doesn't respond. Instead he's talking to a red headed woman. She looks over at me. She gives me a once over. 

Then she smiles at me. Weird thing is, she doesn't look like someone who smiles. Barton turns to look at me. “C’mere, Katie,” he says with a smile. I slowly amble over. “Nat, this is Kathryn Humber. 

Katie, this is Natasha Romanoff,” he says introducing us. “Nice to meet you,” she says. I give a small smile to her. “Likewise,” I say softly. I don't know why, but I am unsure of her. She wrinkles her forehead in confusion. But before she can say anything, Bucky joins us. 

“Sorry guys, but I got to steal Katie away,” he says grabbing my hand and practically dragging me to the kitchen. Barton tries to object but Nat stops him. “Let him enjoy not being the newbie for once. Besides I can tell they will be great friends if not allies,” she says. He turns to look at her. “I don't know if she's ready for that. I mean she just got released from the hospital.” 

She nods her head. “I know. Just trust me on this,” she says. The two of them leave for another part of the tower. Steve was plating the food when he saw Bucky drag me into the kitchen. “Didn't I say to leave her alone?” He looked at his friend who pulled the best puppy dog pout ever. Steve closed his eyes and sighed. 

“Alright, alright. But don't be surprised if she tries to kick your butt,” he says putting the plates on the table. Bucky snorted. “She wouldn't harm a fly,” he replied. I raise an eyebrow at him. Steve looked up at him. “Lieutenant Marine veteran, tenth degree level seven black belt in Taekwondo, fourth degree level three in jujitsu. Best female sharpshooter and sniper too,” Steve rattled off. 

Bucky looked from Steve to me. He stared for quite some time. After a moment he saluted me. “Sergeant James Barnes, of the 107th Infantry, and the Howling Commandos,” he says. I salute back, to show respect. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” I say. He gives me a wicked grin, “The pleasure is mine.”


End file.
